“The Council would never deny me anything.”
“You don’t know that, or you would have already asked them.”
“I didn’t ask them yet because I wanted to discuss it with you first. But since you’re so bent on rejecting the idea?—”
“Because only you could imagine asking something so foolish!” She swatted at him. “Becauseyouhave never been denied anything. Others listen when you speak.”
“Well…exactly.So why would they deny me this? Aren’t I going to do great enough things? Isn’t this a small thing to ask in return?”
“For you, it’s a small thing. For them, it is not. And for me, I dare say it is not either. You trust the Council. And the Creator. Well, I don’t. You think you know everything. You think everything works exactly the way it’s supposed to. Then answer me this. If we were meant to be together, why didn’t the Creator put us together in the first place?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? Unlike Castor, we’re both perfectly capable of existing on our own.”
“And yet, you now feel you need my help.”
“Yes! Exactly! You feel it too, don’t you? You’re the only angel who could make me better. You’re the only angel who could possibly be the other half of my soul. Surely, it should be clear to anyone that we make a better match than you and Castor.”
“Oh, like it was clear to them that they should admit me to the architect program?”
“This isdifferent.”
“Becauseyou’reasking?”
“Yes.”
Lila scoffed.
“Truly, Luc, your ego knows no bounds.”
“They. Will. Do. It.” He ground the words between his teeth and spit them out.
“No.” Lila shook her head. “They won’t do it, even for you.” She pointed an accusatory finger at him, then began pacing in front of the Void, ranting and demonstrating with her hands. “How would that even work? You think swapping souls is like swapping inlaid gems? Your soul is who youare!Everyone knows that. And who I am isCastor’s.The Creator made me that way, and not even He can change that.”
“Oh, so now you know what the Creator can and can’t do?” Luc took a furious step forward.
“I know what I am!” Lila snapped, rounding on him. Her chest heaved, and she gripped her skirts like she wanted to squeeze his neck instead.
Luc didn’t understand. Lila was one of the smartest angels he knew; she could imagine so many complex and beautiful things that didn’t even exist yet. How could she not imagine this? How could she so readily reject his offer when, clearly, both of them wanted it?
Unless…
Unless shedidn’twant it.
Unless, this whole time, she had only been interested in what he could teach her. What he was willing to teach her when the instructors would not. Perhaps he’d been fooling himself, and he was a means to an end for her, as he was for so many others. Lucifer, the golden angel child who would grow up to do great things for them, given scrolls for companions and flattery for friendship.
“So that’s it?” he spat. “You don’t even want totry?You’re going to stay with Castor? You’re going to go along with that like you go along with everything else?”
“Excuse me?”
“You didn’t fight being placed in woodworking. You didn’t fight to be an architect.”
“Excuse me? You have no idea what I’ve done!”
“Well, you didn’t do enough! Clearly!”
“Is that what you think of me? You think that none of it bothers me?!”
“Obviously not! You’re about to make your eternal bed with him!”
